


Snow Smitten

by foreverfangirlwrites



Series: How We Could Have Met [12]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Quite Literally, Supernatural Elements, a little bit of magic, actually the decade, and a lot of humanity, and annabeth can't help but be pulled along for the ride, anyway, feat. winter, its a 6k adventure, its cute, last one for the year y'all, percy is....special, this one was a doozy to write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:00:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21922558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverfangirlwrites/pseuds/foreverfangirlwrites
Summary: Annabeth is fascinated by the snow and Percy...well he is the snow...kind off... he's different and charming with a smile that freezes her in place and eyes she thinks she's falling in. With a little bit of magic and a lot of humanity she's brought closer and closer until she knows she's smitten with the snow, and cold, and frost.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Series: How We Could Have Met [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1256003
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93





	Snow Smitten

There is a chill in the air, a frost tingling its way through the town as light snow begins to fall. The little light that had made up the day is long gone and the dark sky looms over the picturesque scene that lays before her.

It’s all the more reason to hurry home to warmth, but she’s fascinated with the night, the snow, the cold.

She continues her walk at a steady pace, watching the snow float down. Luckily, there isn’t too much of a wi—a large gust of cold air pushes her hair out of place just as the thought enters her head. The wind has kicked up the snow, and she can’t see in front of her anymore.

She stumbles forward a little and almost falls over. But just as soon as it appeared, the wind dissipates, and she’s left standing the middle of the sidewalk, confused, with strange feeling that she’s just been helped.

Home is a welcome sight, and even though her apartment doesn’t have the best insulation, it’s better than the outside. Even more so, since as soon as she steps in, the snow really picks up.

She walks to her window to see stronger winds and heavy flakes that would most likely make for a good five inches or so of snowfall.

The window that had started fogging up when the heat kicked in now has a layer of frost forming on the panes.

It’s beautiful, the way the crystals intertwine together. She lifts her finger and draws out a simple snowflake with her finger before heading to off to bed.

-.-

The next morning proves to yield the predicted five inches of snow. She’s glad that she doesn’t have work today—the roads are a nightmare before the snowplows get to them.

But right now, the roads are untouched, pristine. Her fingertips press against the cold glass and she’s even more surprised to find that her snowflake from the night before has maintained is form, the frost forming around it, extending its features.

It’s strange and beautiful, and her coffee is calling her name, so she leaves with a picture and plans for the day.

She does, inevitably, need to venture out later in the day (when it’s a bit more manageable). The grocery store is close enough, but she takes the long way, walking up to the lake in the small park nearby.

The lake is frozen solid and devoid of visitors. She stands at the edge, looking down at the layer of snow that covers the ice. The air and wind nip at her face, causing her to shiver. A chill runs through her and her neck pricks with the feeling of being watched. But a glance around proves no one else is there and she dismisses the feeling as nothing more than a fanciful notion.

She steps back from the lake, knowing it isn’t safe to venture out on it (especially with five inches of snow on top), no matter how much she wants to.

The light of the day is fading, and she needs to get her grocery shopping done. Despite herself, she feels a tug towards the lake and ice and snow that she’s only able to overcome by casting one last glance at the scene, walking away resolutely without looking back.

And it feels like perhaps the wind dies down a little as she does.

-.-

She’s on her way back from the grocery store, trying to balance all her bags, when something of note finally happens.

She must not have been paying attention to where she was going because seemingly out of nowhere, she bumps into another person.

It feels like a wall of cold and she immediately readjusts her bags as she apologizes. “Oh! I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” the voice answers, and it sends shivers through her body. She looks up sharply to see a peculiar sort of man with dark silver-y shiny hair, wearing nothing but a blue hoodie, dark jeans and sneakers.

It’s definitely odd, given the freezing temperatures, but it makes sense as to why he felt so cold. Anyone would be in such light clothing. Maybe it’s the oddity that causes the next words to come out of her mouth.

“You must really like the cold.”

The man looks taken back at the words for a moment before a slow smile overtakes his face.

“I do. You’re the first to realize it though.”

It occurs to her that it was quite insensitive of her to jump to that conclusion. He could’ve been unable to afford warmer clothes or something. But there was something in the way he looked that made her think that wasn’t the case. He looked too…comfortable, too in his own element, to be dressed like that out of necessity.

She doesn’t know how to explain all that, so she simply replies, “Well, you don’t look cold.”

The slow smile that’s been growing through their conversation freezes into an odd look that sends another bout of shivers through her entire body.

He breaks away to look up at the sky where light snowflakes are falling.

“You’re right. I’m not.”

She should walk away, she doesn’t even know why she’s struck up a conversation with a random man in the street. She needs to go. But somehow, she can’t help but stare at him, and the way the snowflakes catch on his odd dark-silver hair, making it look white. His skin is deathly pale and even his hoodie is the color of frozen pool water.

He looks back down at her, gauging her reaction to his words. She tears her gaze away. God, what’s wrong with her?

“I… uh… right, well, I’ll leave you to it,” she mumbles quickly as she speedwalks away, heart thumping wildly in her chest. Out of excitement or fear, she can’t decide.

She chances a glance back and sees him watching her walk away with that same slow smile on his face.

-.-

The interaction was weird enough to stay in her mind for the next few days as the snow finally stopped. She really doesn’t know why she stayed to have that conversation; it was something she never would have normally done. The last time she did that…

She shakes her head—she’s not going to think about _him_ right now—and walks towards her window. The frost on her window has started to fade as well, but she can still make out her snowflake.

A lifetime of living in a cold environment has taught her to gauge cold by simply looking outside. So, when she peers out to a clear, bright, sunny day, she knows without even checking her phone that it’s by far the coldest day of the year.

She’s right, it’s in the negatives; according to her phone, it will be all day. She walks back to her bedroom, ready to slip back beneath the covers. But she halts at the sight of her snowflake on the window. Her bedroom window, not her living room one.

She blinks a few times because that can’t be right, but it’s still there. Walking up to the glass, she tentatively brushes her fingertips against it.

The window in her bedroom looks out over the fire escape that no one ever uses, so she opens up her curtains to let more light in. As more of the snowflake is revealed, she catches a glimpse of a familiar blue hoodie in her peripheral vision.

He looks up from the window he’s touching and their eyes meet, freezing her in place. In the morning light she can see the color, a hard icy blue staring at her intently. Just the look alone causes a chill to run through her body and maybe that’s what jolts her out of it.

Without thinking, she opens up her window to yell outside.

“What are you doing out there?! You’ll die!”

Her hair stands up at the blast of cold air and in a second he’s in front of her window, blocking some of the wind. She has no idea how he moves so fast, but she’s too cold to care and pulls him inside.

He easily climbs through and she shuts the window again, retreating further into the warmer parts of her room.

“Are you crazy?” she asks through chattering teeth. “I know you like the cold in all, but you’ll die in that weather!”

It occurs to her then that maybe she’s the crazy one, pulling a veritable stranger into her house. Why she felt compelled to do that, and why she’s just so drawn to him particularly, she has no idea.

She turns abruptly and walks into her living room with him silently following behind.

“Can I get you some coffee? Or tea? Or something…” she asks shakily. She’s out of her mind, but if she’s invited someone in, she should at least offer a drink.

“Just a glass of water,” he replies politely, looking around the room curiously. His eyes jump from the pictures to decorations to books rapidly, as if he’s desperately trying to take it all in.

She pours herself a hot cup of coffee and offers him his glass of water.

“What were you doing?” she finally asks, once he’s taken it.

“It’s a beautiful day,” he replies with a shrug.

Sure, it is, if you ignore the subzero temperatures.

“It’s in the negatives! You could have died from hypothermia,” she replies, continuously taken back at everything that comes out of his mouth.

Instead of responding, he gives her that same odd smile from before. As if they’re sharing a secret, but she doesn’t know what it is.

“Thank you,” he responds. She must look as confused as she feels because he holds up the empty glass of water, and when did he finish it?

She takes the glass back. It’s colder than when she gave it to him, but his genuine smile and soft look distract her from the fact.

She’s once again frozen in place and god, _what_ is wrong with her?

She breaks the gaze and turns around to put the glass away. Her heart is thumping again, and she _still_ can’t decide if it’s out of excitement of fear. She returns to the living room, a little apprehensive.

“You have a really nice place,” he murmurs after a moment of silence, still looking around at everything.

“Thanks,” she manages. Maybe her anxiety shows through, because his eyes finally settle on her.

“What’s your name?” he asks softly.

“Annabeth,” she answers. The anxiousness is already fading the longer she stays in his presence. Because, despite it all, she can’t help but be drawn in.

“Annabeth,” he repeats slowly, testing the syllables in his mouth. And odd looks crosses his face as he does.

“It’s nice to meet you, Annabeth. Thank you for your hospitality.”

She doesn’t know why the sound of her name from his mouth stirs something in her as she nods back.

“What were you doing out there?” she asks, realizing he never really answered her question from before.

He shrugs again. “Drawing snowflakes.”

She stares at him.

“What?”

He shrugs, yet again. “I like snowflakes.”

Of all the possible responses, she definitely didn’t expect that. She doesn’t even know how to respond to that.

He must find her actions amusing because he lets out a little laugh. His eyes then continue to wander around the room, stopping suddenly at a photo frame on a table.

The laugh disappears and he walks over to it, a photo of her and…and _him._

“Who’s that?” he asks, still staring at the photo. She quickly moves over and lays the photo flat on the table.

“Um, can I get you another glass of water?” she asks instead.

The air in the room has grown colder and he’s looking at her with a weird look on his face. It’s a bit chilling, like the rest of his looks, and she ducks her head to avoid it.

“No, I’m good. Thanks again, Annabeth,” he speaks slowly, and by the time she looks up again, the front door is open and he’s gone.

“Wait!” she cries, running to the door, only to find the hall just as empty.

How the fuck does he move so fast? She closes the door behind her shakily and walks back to the photo frame, setting it back up.

He was the love of her life, but she can’t bring herself to look at him.

She lets out a sigh and returns to the kitchen to make some food and cast her mind away from the strange events of the day.

But she can’t help it, and it’s only later, after she’s recounted the whole thing in her head multiple times, does she realize he never told her his name.

Or why his snowflake had looked exactly like hers.

Or how, if he had been out there in the cold for so long, he was even still alive.

-.-

Annabeth doesn’t see him again for the next few days, though the thoughts of him don’t leave her mind. She still doesn’t know what caused her to let a random guy into her house and why she feels like she like she can trust him when she doesn’t even know his name.

Maybe it’s because she’s distracted by these thoughts that cause her to miss him for the first half hour she’s there. Or maybe he’d just shown up then.

Piper and Thalia had wanted to go ice skating because of course they did—they were both really good. Thalia used to play hockey and Piper’s been ice skating since she was five. Basically, it meant they were going to spend a majority of the time racing each other while Annabeth wobbled and clutched the edge of the rink, settling disputes about who won.

She’s only made her way halfway across the rink in the half hour they’ve been there and midway through her struggles, a flash of blue whizzes by her.

And there he is, with his blue hoodie and dark jeans, as always, seeming to float across the ice. It’s actually a little mesmerizing the way he moves. She’s seen professionals in an ice rink before, but he’s…he’s different. The way he’s gliding makes it look like he’s literally floating.

He notices her watching and shoots her that same smile he does every time, spinning once before leaping over the ice to get to her. She has no clue how no one else has noticed.

“Hello again, Annabeth.” He offers a smile and a hand.

She can’t deny the thrill she feels when he says her name.

“You never told me your name,” she replies, hoping she could learn at least one thing about him this time.

But just as she asks the question, she slips and little and almost tumbles down. He catches her before she does, pulling her up again, chuckling.

“Would you like some help?”

She doesn’t even notice that he’s avoided her question again because he’s touched her for the first time and it’s a really cold shock, like his hands are ice.

Clearly they aren’t really, though, and she stares at the deathly pale skin for a moment before accepting. 

Her fingers start to freeze through her gloves and she almost lets go. He must notice this because he makes a face and she wonders if maybe she’s offended him. But after a moment his hand doesn’t feel as cold and she can hold on without freezing.

Even though she’s next to him now, she still doesn’t know how he effortlessly glides across the ice. He doesn’t make an attempt to teach her either, they just hold on and move slowly but surely and somehow ice skating becomes a little easier.

She can stand upright and move more than an inch at a time and it feels great, like the ice has become smoother and not dug into five million times by other people.

“I’m doing it!” she exclaims loudly, a wide grin on her face. She feels like she’s floating with his hand as a safety grip. The one point of contact feels the realest out of everything and she never wants to let go.

He’s grinning just as widely back at her, teeth shining as white as snow, and despite the cold air she can feel a warmth on her cheeks.

They slow down a bit and she turns to him. “Thank you,” she whispers softly and his grin morphs into a softer smile.

They’re so close and she’s cold and warm and everything at the same time. Her heart is doing the thumping thing again but this time she knows it’s from excitement. She can’t bring herself to fear him.

His eyes are still that icy blue that freezes her, but it almost looks like they’re melting. She can’t look away, as they slowly glide, hand in hand, staring at each other. She doesn’t know how they don’t bump into anyone else.

His hand feels warmer and they’re getting closer and closer and—

And for the first time since she’s held his hand she stumbles. And just like that the moment breaks as the motion startles both of them, him especially. His eyes go wide and his hand feels frozen again. He leads her to the edge of the rink, still with the startled expression on his face.

When she’s caught the railing, she turns around to talk to him but once again, he’s vanished. A crowd of people skate by, making it impossible for her to search for him.

She feels a pang in her heart at his disappearance and wonders what just happened. How could she have been able to skate with him by her side? What had that moment been, they were definitely leaning closer…how could she almost kiss someone she truly didn’t know?

Sighing, she grips the edge tightly once again. And the biggest question, why was she so drawn into him, why did her heart go crazy when she was around him?

God, she hasn’t felt this lost in someone since…

The thought jolts her a little.

_Him_.

With too many thoughts and questions and not enough answers, she doesn’t know how long she stands there till Piper and Thalia skate up to her and whisk her away.

And even as she leaves the rink, she keeps an eye out for that dark silvery hair and blue hoodie with icy eyes that always freeze her in place.

-.-

She doesn’t see him again for the next few days, despite looking everywhere she goes. She even ventures out into the cold for no reason, in hopes of catching a glimpse of him.

It’s on one of these random trips to the lake by her house does she finally see a flash of blue again. Hidden behind a snow-covered tree, he seems to be playing with a squirrel when she approaches.

“Hey,” she says quietly, hoping not to startle him.

It doesn’t work and he jumps at the sound as his squirrel friend scampers away.

“I’m sorry,” she immediately apologizes, and he looks so surprised that she wonders if maybe he was hiding behind the tree on purpose.

“It’s alright,” he finally responds, starting to move backwards.

Knowing how quickly he’s capable of disappearing she throws out her hand to stop him. “Wait!”

Her fingers freeze immediately, like every other time, but she holds on, despite that. “Wait, please,” she pleads.

He pauses his movement and she steps closer. “Please don’t leave, I just…”

She looks at him a little helplessly. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you…who are you?”

There’s a full minute of silence as he regards her carefully, head tilted to the side in contemplation. She’s not sure what to make of it, so she lets go of his hand and waits in silence, hoping she can get some answers. 

Finally, he sighs and gestures her to follow him. They make their way to a more secluded part of the small park, not that there are many people out in the cold anyway.

Once again, she wonders why she’s following him and why she trusts him so much.

He stops abruptly and she almost runs into him. Turning around slowly, he holds out his hand, clenched in a fist. She looks at it in confusion that turns to amazement when he unfurls his fingers to reveal a snowflake the size of his palm, just floating there.

And then in a smooth motion he flings it up into the sky. A wave of snow comes falling all around her, but without touching her, as if he was controlling the way it fell.

It’s almost unbelievable if she wasn’t seeing it with her own eyes. She reaches out to catch some of it, but it still avoids her hand. And before she can even finish processing that, he waves his hand and the snow stops. He glides away from her, feet skimming over the freshly fallen snow, not leaving any footprints.

This can’t be real…there’s no way. But it’s happening right in front of her.

“Who are you?” she manages to ask again, as he glides around her with a trail of snow that seems to be following him.

He flashes her a grin, coming right up to her and her heart’s doing that thing again. Reaching out a finger, he gently boops her nose and cold from his hand bites her just a little. It reminds her of a saying she heard when she was young—Jack Frost is nipping at your nose.

Jack Fro—no way. He’s not real, he can’t be. But there’s a man in front of her gliding upon the snow as if he owns it, causing wind and flurries, never feeling cold but freezing to the touch.

It couldn’t have been more obvious.

“No way,” she says in amazement, as he comes to a stop in front of her.

He shrugs and creates another snowflake in his hand, this time made of ice.

“You’re…Jack Frost?” She’s still not sure if she’s right and saying out loud makes it sound even sillier. But he just grins in response and sends the ice snowflake floating over to her.

“I can’t believe this,” she whispers, reaching out to hold the snowflake in her hand. It’s real, and solid and she can feel the cold begin to sink into her hand.

He comes closer with a smile in his face and she realizes he’s enjoying every moment of this.

“Wow,” she says, staring into his blue eyes, “You’re amazing.” She breathes out the words in a moment of awe but the effect on him is even more amazing. The blue eyes are taken back at first but the ice in them seems to melt again, a slight tinge of color flushing his face and making him look slightly less pale then before.

“Thanks,” he mumbles, looking down and she wonders if he’d be blushing properly if he could right now.

They’re close once again, and as ever she’s drawn in. She can’t help but reach out to touch his hands—once again, they’re warmer than before.

“How…how are you real?” she asks quietly, looking down at their touching hands. His skin was pale and cold and pretty normal looking, but those fingertips could create snowflakes.

He shrugs. “I was chosen.”

“Chosen?”

He sighs. “I don’t know…I—I used to be human, but I don’t remember much of it. One day I woke up in the middle of the snow and I didn’t feel cold. And then I realized I could control it.”

It still feels unbelievable, like it can’t be real, but then again, he controlled snow to avoid her hand so who’s she to say what’s real or not.

And now things are making sense. She recalls every other meeting she had with him, the way the wind and snow was when they first met and the ice at the ice rink. It was his…magic, that allowed all that to happen.

“Wow,” she breathes, unable to say anything else and he strengthens his grasp on her hand, pulling her along.

She follows him through the snow, the feeling of gliding from the ice rink returning once again and it’s incredible.

He waves his hand to make another flutter of snow flurries fall down upon them as he leads them to the lake. Though she wouldn’t have dared to go on by herself, when he steps on the ice it feels stronger beneath her and the inexplicable trust that she feels towards him edges her on.

He spins her around and she laughs, once again meeting the melting blue eyes. They’re so close now and she wonders if he can feel her heart thumping against his chest. She feels his cold breath on her face.

But the closer they get as they move through the ice, the warmer he feels, even his breath isn’t as cold as before. They’re inches apart and his eyes are the blue-est they’ve ever been and she wants nothing more than to close the gap between them.

But before she can do anything, the ice beneath her cracks, and he foot slips though.

The dreamy look in his eyes fades immediately, and he pulls her up before she can fall any further, hand gripping hers like her life depends on it, and honestly, it kind of does. Her foot starts to register in her mind as numb, a dull pain throbbing up her ankle.

They speed across the rest of the ice back to the edge of the lake, and she notices his hand’s freezing and his skin’s deathly pale once again.

“Are you okay?” he asks, once they’re back on solid ground, his eyes back to the icy blue. He shifts uncertainly in front of her, as if he’s in between reaching out towards her and pulling away.

She nods because that’s all she can muster, her heart still racing from the close call and her foot beginning to thaw and ache.

“Good, I’m...god, I’m so sorry,” he apologizes, starting to back away.

He’s…scared.

She realizes just in time to grab his hand at the last moment. “Wait, please don’t leave!”

It’s enough to make him hesitate and she continues quickly. “I’m not mad at you, I’m just trying to understand.”

He’s stopped completely now and she gently tugs him towards her.

“What happened?” she asks softly.

He takes a tiny step towards her and her foot decides to give out, causing her to stumble forward. For the third time he catches her before she can fall and for the third time they’re close again and it feels so right.

He’s grimacing and she knows he feels horrible. “I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

“It’s okay, just…help me home,” she answers quietly. “Then we’ll talk.” And so they slowly make their way back to her apartment.

The warmth that greets her feels amazing and for the first time she doesn’t feel bad about accidently leaving her heater on again. She strips down her coat and scarf and socks and changes into warm clothes.

A cup of coffee and a pair of fuzzy socks later, she’s already feeling better. He—Jack had asked for a glass of water again and was sipping it half-heartedly when she starts up the conversation.

“So, tell me what happened? I thought you could control—”

“I can!” he yells, causing her to jump back with wide eyes. He immediately looks remorseful and apologizes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just—I can, I know I can.”

He says it like he’s telling himself more than her and she realizes he’s frustrated with himself. He’s mad at himself for losing control.

“It’s okay,” she replies gently, hoping to soothe him.

It doesn’t work and he shakes his head harshly. “No, no it’s not. It’s not okay! I’m…dangerous.” He stops talking for a moment and looks at her with a gleam in his eyes she’s never seen before.

“No…” he says slowly, “you’re dangerous.” He points a finger at her.

She’s not sure what to make of that, but it makes her want to retreat into her couch.

Her reaction upsets him, and he shakes his head again in frustration. “Ugh, I’m messing this up,” he says, backing up again.

He’s shaking a little and she doesn’t know if it’s from frustration or fear, but he’s walking faster now.

“I should have never come here,” he mumbles, almost knocking over a photo frame on the table. He retracts his hand back like he’s been burned, eyes wide and afraid at the her, the photo frame, the incident, she doesn’t know.

She stands up to stop him, but the motion just makes him move faster and before she can say a single word, there’s a rush of cold air in the room and he’s gone, leaving the front door ajar.

It’s the last she sees of him for the year.

-.-.-

It’s February, and she still hasn’t forgotten him. How could anyone forget meeting a person who wasn’t even supposed to exist? But at the same time, she wonders if it was as real as she thinks. She wants to believe it, but with him gone for three months, it feels like a fairytale.

She’s on her way back one night from some after Valentine’s Day chocolate shopping when she bumps into something solid.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes immediately, knowing it’s her fault for not looking up from her bags. To be fair, she had scored some white chocolate.

“It’s okay,” the person answers and it sends shivers down her spine. A cold wind has picked up and are there flurries beginning to fall?

There’s no way.

But when she looks up, she once again meets icy blue eyes.

And there he is, with that same blue hoodie and dark jeans and dark silvery hair with perpetual snow sticking on it, making it look white.

He looks exactly the same as he did three months ago. Well, almost.

The longer she looks, she can see a sadness in those icy blue eyes. The snow around him is so light it’s almost not there.

“Hi,” he says quietly, in response to her staring. He looks like he’s expecting a slap or for her to storm away. But as ever, she’s drawn closer to him.

She legitimately believed she had lost him forever, just like…just like _him._ But he was back, there in front of her, and for the first time in forever she feels like a weight has been lifted off her chest.

She hasn’t lost everyone. Not yet.

“Hi,” she responds, trying to will her eyes to stop watering.

She’s not sure if it works, but he doesn’t comment on it, gesturing to the bags instead. “Do you need any help with that?”

She lets him take one and they walk in silence to her apartment. The snow swirls beautifully around them, creating cool patterns and though there’s a wind, she doesn’t feel its biting cold.

They make it inside and she gets him a glass of water without being prompted, motioning for him to sit.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she says quietly, and he looks at the ground between them at the words.

“I’m sorry,” he starts. “I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“It’s okay, really. I just want to know what happened. Are you okay?”

She hopes she’ll get an answer, that she won’t lose him this time. She can’t handle another loss.

He looks up at her and the ice is melting from his eyes. He’s crying. Tears flows down his cheeks and she moves closer, taking his hands in hers.

They’re not as cold as before and get warmer the longer she holds on. He looks away but she can still see the tears on his cheeks, and maybe it’s the lighting but his face doesn’t look as pale as before, a little color returning to it.

Even the snowflakes that cling to his hair are melting, leaving behind the dark silvery color.

She puts a hand on his face and raises his chin to meet his eyes. The ice in them has melted, leaving a brilliant blue in its wake.

“What’s…what’s happening to you?” she asks in a whisper.

He gives her a sad, teary smile. “I’m losing my powers…”

She feels a pang at those words. “But why, how?”

He closes his eyes and all of a sudden it feels like his skin is burning. “Because, I got too close to a human.

“And,” he continues with his eyes closed, swaying a little, “to feel humanity is to lose my magic.”

She can do nothing but watch helplessly as the snow from his hair melts away and the silver starts to retract and the cold from his hands fades to warmth.

His swaying increases and he droops down, burning up now at an alarming rate. She quickly lays down on the couch and she knows he’s lost all consciousness, but the fever is concerning and she’s not sure what happens when a magical being loses his powers.

All she can do is nurse him the way she knows how, by putting a cold washcloth on his face and trying to get him to drink some water and medicine.

He looks so peaceful and human now that his skin is deathly pale and his hair is slowly turning black. She’s still drawn in, as if something about him is familiar. She stays by his side all night, making sure his fever doesn’t get too high.

At some point though, she must have fallen asleep there, on the floor beside the couch, leaning against it. She doesn’t know when she fell asleep, but she wakes when she feels a warm hand against her cheek.

She’s exhausted from staying up all night, and slowly blinks awake.

The first thing that comes into focus is a beautiful shade of sea-green, the color of jade. The familiarity hits her like a wave.

“Annabeth?” the voice that speaks is a little gruff from disuse and god, how did she not see it before. With light tan skin, raven black hair and sea green eyes, the picture is complete.

She sits up straight, eyes wide and heart thumping just as it always had when she saw him. She thought she had lost him.

He follows her movement, sitting up quickly. “I’m…” he looks down a himself, as if unsure of what he was seeing.

He couldn’t control the ice and snow anymore.

But the touch of his hand spread a warmth in her that she hadn’t felt in years. The small smile causes a burst of butterflies in her chest and the way he draws her in is still just as captivating as before.

She can’t stop the tears from flowing now and they rush out of her like a tidal wave. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have him back.

“I’m…” he starts to say again.

_My boyfriend,_ she wants to yell, _the one who left one winter night three years ago over a stupid fight about a broken glass of water, and never returned._ The only person she had ever been able to love, and the only person she believed she could ever love. But none of that comes out of her mouth.

She stares in watery silence as he holds up his hands as if to inspect them, flicking his fingers in a way that would have caused snow flurries to erupt, but now do nothing.

His eyes droop at the notion and she knows how he’s feeling.

“I’m,” it comes out more dejected sometime.

So, before he can complete it with useless, or weak, or any other word he would have come up with she completes it for him.

Taking a shaky breath, tears streaming down her face and her heart thumping in a way that was both excitement and fear, she whispers the word.

“Percy.”

-.-

The recognition that flares up in his eyes at the word is the best magic of all.

**Author's Note:**

> So there you have it, what did you think? The Jack Frost idea was something I actually started on last year but ultimately left off because I couldn’t see it going anywhere, so this time I challenged myself to finish it and it became a 6k nightmare to write lol. 
> 
> But I did and a HUGE thanks to my beta for pouring over this and making sure I didn’t mess up my tenses in my re-write. She’s awesome and you can check her out on twitter at ayushipop!
> 
> So yeah, here we are with the last update of the year, of the decade actually! I actually fulfilled my goal of updating this series once a month and I definitely plan on continuing that in the new year.
> 
> Thank you all, for reading and reviewing and supporting this series, you guys are the best and your support and readership really does mean a lot to me. 
> 
> And with that I’ll stop my rambles and say, happy holidays and a very happy new year to you all! I’ll see you in 2020! 
> 
> Please Comment! I’d love to hear your thoughts! And as always thanks for reading!  
> See ya! :)


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